Unfortunately for Mathieu his height is going to be something that scares off a lot of NFL teams. He's listed at 5'9 which is already on the shorter side for CBs, but I'm willing to bet he's even shorter than that. With all of the big receivers that play on the outside now he may be limited to only playing in the slot, and even with his knack for making the big play a slot CB/Rover will never warrant a high pick.

Someone had to say it. On a serious note, Antoincd made a good point. Teams play multiple receiver sets. It's just as important to cover the slot guy as the guy outside the numbers. They're the ones who move the chains. There are a lot of cb's who don't like to and aren't very good at covering slot guys. I'd love to get Honey Badger on the Pats. We'll take him at 32 if the rest of you guys don't want him

I think as a college player, he is extremely overrated. I said it in another thread but much of his hype is from his nickname. If people called him the Platypus rather than the Honey Badger, he wouldn't have been invited to New York for the Heisman ceremony. As for the NFL, I think he needs to be ready for a long fall. His size is certainly not great. And when you are that small, your timed speed better make up for it. I don't think he is a 4.4 guy. I expect him to run in the mid 4.5s, similar to what Joe Haden did at the combine. Plus I expect his production to decrease this season. Add that together and I think he is at best a late-second round pick who would be foolish to come out early.

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by SolidGold

Bortlezzzzzzz

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monomach

Brilliant letting one of Scott Pioli's henchmen have his own team to ruin. One of the premier GM jobs in the NFL and it gets handed to a stupid **** who makes three facepalm moves for every good one. Awesome. Just like handing a new Mercedes to a 16 year old girl who's already been in three wrecks.

Not in my mind. Finnegan is a bit bigger and has better speed. It isn't a horrible comparison, but probably not the one I'd go with.

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by SolidGold

Bortlezzzzzzz

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monomach

Brilliant letting one of Scott Pioli's henchmen have his own team to ruin. One of the premier GM jobs in the NFL and it gets handed to a stupid **** who makes three facepalm moves for every good one. Awesome. Just like handing a new Mercedes to a 16 year old girl who's already been in three wrecks.

1. A nickel back is a starter in today's NFL. The 4-2-5 is the base defense in the league. Not the 3-4 or 4-3. I'm pretty sure he can do that. And, do it well. Because it allows him to free lance a little.

2. He might be the best punt returner to come out of college since Devin Hester.

1. A nickel back is a starter in today's NFL. The 4-2-5 is the base defense in the league. Not the 3-4 or 4-3. I'm pretty sure he can do that. And, do it well. Because it allows him to free lance a little.

2. He might be the best punt returner to come out of college since Devin Hester.

I like this kid. He just makes plays. There is something to be said for someone who is always around the ball and isn't afraid of the spotlight. I don't think he's quite the prospect some will make him out to be but he will have a nice career in the NFL.

I think he's a 4.3-4.4 guy. He's super talented, but all of that doesn't come from his coverage ability. He'll be one of the top CB's in the draft most likely, but I would imagine teams that run out of the nickel a lot will value him more than others. I do think he can play outside though and he's got play-making ability. He's probably going to be a solid 2nd round prospect for sure, but I imagine he'll end up in the 1st.

I think he might be better off on offense to be honest. Let's not kid ourselves with what we are looking at. His long speed is average at best. I would expect 4.5's to a 4.6 forty. That's okay on offense because you don't have to worry about somebody running by you for 6.

His quickness and field vision is what makes him special with the ball in his hands. The guy is pint sized. Let's not confuse him with Troy Polamalu. Troy had 30 lbs. on the guy and at least an inch. Mathieu is tough, aggressive, and tackles well, but is he really going to be able to maintain that success at the next level with his size?

There is a reason why LSU uses him as a slot guy and safety only. You won't see him on an island because his coverage skills aren't good enough. Generally when he plays the slot, he isn't even in true man-to-man coverage. He is playing either inside or outside, and relying on a safety to take care of the other side.

Basically the Tim Tebow of defensive prospects in my opinion. Awesome college player, one of the best ever. But logically, nothing points to this guy being successful in the NFL, no matter how much you root for him...

I think as a college player, he is extremely overrated. I said it in another thread but much of his hype is from his nickname. If people called him the Platypus rather than the Honey Badger, he wouldn't have been invited to New York for the Heisman ceremony. As for the NFL, I think he needs to be ready for a long fall. His size is certainly not great. And when you are that small, your timed speed better make up for it. I don't think he is a 4.4 guy. I expect him to run in the mid 4.5s, similar to what Joe Haden did at the combine. Plus I expect his production to decrease this season. Add that together and I think he is at best a late-second round pick who would be foolish to come out early.

Are you kidding? The dude was a dominant playmaker.

I think he'll be great in a slot/safety role, where he can blitz, roam, and play the football. You're wasting his talents if you line him up man to man on the outside every play.

His hands and return ability is nice, he's dangerous with the football, but he has 11 forced fumbles and 6 sacks in 2 years ( 26 games, 14 starts)

It doesn't bother me at all that he is going to be a nickel corner. Teams are in nickel or dime more than their base packages. He's a playmaker with the feistiness I love.

I'm not saying he could get drafted in the first, but I could see him as high as the second if he does well at the combine and third if he doesn't. Drafting a potential playmaker like him in the second or third is great value. I think he has to fit the team's system though, he has to be allowed to be a playmaker.

This is silly. It's becoming more and more popular for people to call him overrated these days, which will end up making him underrated. 2nd rounder??? LOL. He's a 1st round lock. I agree with those saying that even if he is limited to being a nickel corner, he will still have a lot of value. It's obvious to anyone paying attention that teams are forced to adjust for multiple WR sets by playing much more nickel and dime defensive formations. Base defenses might only be played 30-50% of the game.

The Honey Badger is such a big time playmaker, that he breaks the mold of contemporary thinking when it comes to grading measurables. He's 19 years old. His career NFL playing weight will be much different.

I think he might be better off on offense to be honest. Let's not kid ourselves with what we are looking at. His long speed is average at best. I would expect 4.5's to a 4.6 forty. That's okay on offense because you don't have to worry about somebody running by you for 6.

His quickness and field vision is what makes him special with the ball in his hands. The guy is pint sized. Let's not confuse him with Troy Polamalu. Troy had 30 lbs. on the guy and at least an inch. Mathieu is tough, aggressive, and tackles well, but is he really going to be able to maintain that success at the next level with his size?

There is a reason why LSU uses him as a slot guy and safety only. You won't see him on an island because his coverage skills aren't good enough. Generally when he plays the slot, he isn't even in true man-to-man coverage. He is playing either inside or outside, and relying on a safety to take care of the other side.

Basically the Tim Tebow of defensive prospects in my opinion. Awesome college player, one of the best ever. But logically, nothing points to this guy being successful in the NFL, no matter how much you root for him...

I never really gave that any thought, but playing him on offense actually makes a lot of sense. Not to say he would strictly be an offensive player, but he could be a unique 2 way player.